On Tuesday, 30th September, 2025, coinciding with the third anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday, exactly at the hour of the massacre (1:00 p.m. local time) an event titled “Iran Briefing : A Roadmap for a New Middle East” was held at the European Parliament, co-organised by the “Iran Front for the Revival of Law and National Sovereignty” (Iran Front) and the “International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights” (IOPHR). At this event, the representative of the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights’ Mr Afshin Sajedi, delivered a speech focusing on Iran’s Baluch and Sunni communities.
Afshin Sajedi’s address focused on the repression of Baluch and Sunni compatriots, stating that the situation of Baluch citizens is far worse than that of the people of Gaza. He emphasised that the Bloody Friday of Zahedan was not an isolated incident but a symbol of decades of systematic discrimination and violence against Sunni citizens in Iran. He noted that a regime claiming leadership of the Islamic world has deprived more than 22 million Sunni citizens of the right to worship freely. For example, in the capital city of Tehran, with roughly two million Sunni residents, there is not even a single official mosque for them. By contrast, in Israel- a country frequently condemned by the Islamic Republic- one and a half million Muslim citizens have free access to hundreds of mosques. This comparison exposes the hollow nature of the Islamic Republic’s religious claims.
Sajedi also cited the pressures and restrictions imposed on Molavi Abdolhamid, the most prominent Sunni leader in Iran, as an example of silencing the call for justice. Sajedi reminded the audience that Sunni-majority provinces, especially Sistan and Baluchestan, suffer from structural poverty, discrimination in education and healthcare, and even deprivation of basic needs, while national resources are diverted to support militant groups abroad.
The speech outlined two scenarios for Iran’s future: first, continued severe domestic repression and deeper regional instability; and second, a transition to the rule of law and equal rights for all citizens-women and men, Shia and Sunni, Baluch and Kurd, Sufi and Dervish-so that Iran can become a responsible partner for peace and development.
Sajedi stressed that this double standard is not only a human-rights issue but also a threat to European security, as Islamic centres affiliated with the Islamic Republic in the West fuel local radicalisation and social divisions. He added that defending the rights of Sunnis in Iran is inseparable from the broader struggle for democracy and human dignity for all Iranians, and that the outcome of this struggle can lay the groundwork for a more stable Middle East and a safer world.
Ms. Beverley Eve, the Director of IOPHR, who was also present, concluded the event by the reading a statement of the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights.